Julianne Moore and Barry Weiss
Academy Award-winning actress, Julianne Moore, Emmy Award-winning actor Michael J. Fox, and NBA Hall of Famers, Walt Frazier and Bernard King, gathered with a collection of committed New Yorkers to raise money Tuesday night for Steady Buckets. Steady Buckets is a not-for-profit organization that provides basketball training for approximately 600 boys and girls from all five boroughs of New York City. One of the best parts of Steady Buckets is that the program is free for all participants and brings kids from various socioeconomic backgrounds onto the court to create a community and learn skills in leadership, communication and teamwork.
Barry Weiss and Macky Bergman, two native New Yorkers, founded the organization in 2010. They were both disappointed in the lack of youth basketball training in lower Manhattan so they created a mission not only to teach basketball skills and provide children a safe place to go after school and on the weekends, but also to use basketball as the hook to prepare young men and women for success both on and off the court.
NBA Hall of Famers, Walt Frazier and Bernard King. Photograph by Simon Russell
At the event, I had the pleasure of speaking with Barry Weiss and he is thrilled that the program keeps growing every year and the positive impact it has had on children throughout the city. Mr. Weiss, said, "Children learn to be more responsible, build relationships and increase their commitment to school all by coming here to play basketball a few times a week." Mr. Weiss also indicated that since the program is free for all kids, they rely solely on donations. He explained that raising money to cover the expenses of renting several gyms and hiring more coaches for the growing needs of children in New York City has been challenging, and he is determined to keep finding new and creative ways to raise more money to keep the program growing. Mr. Weiss, stated, "I had a great childhood growing up in this fabulous city and I want to give these kids as much as I can for them to enjoy their childhood and at the same time learn skills to be successful in life."
At the benefit, NBA Hall of Famer, Bernard King, said that this is the type of program that supports children on a life path that could include future "CEOs, professional basketball players and MAYBE even the President of the United States."
If you want to learn more about Steady Buckets, please visit their website.